*Our PD2 system is currently unavailable. At this time, we are posting the Q&As received for reference. Once PD2 is available, we will amend the RFP to incorporate Q&As and post to both FedBizOps and the Natick Website. The Government will not accept any additional questions.*

Q1. In RFP Section C.9.4 Personnel Requirements (page 20-21), paragraph 2, designates a “Lead Scientist (Subject Matter Expert Specialist)” as key personnel. However, there is no Subject Matter Expert Specialist labor category. Will the Government please clarify what labor category (and associated labor category description) applies to the Lead Scientist key personnel?

A1. Yes. See Attachment 3, Labor Category Descriptions, specifically: Lead Scientist/Engineering Specialist.

Q2. In RFP Section C.9.4 Personnel Requirements (page 20-21), paragraph 2, designates a “Subcontractor Specialist (G&A Specialist)” as key personnel. However, in the Labor Category Descriptions provided in Section J, Attachment 3, the G&A Specialist description does not include any tasks related to subcontractor management. Will the Government please clarify what labor category (and associated labor category description) applies to the Subcontractor Specialist key personnel?

A2. Please reference Question and Answer #31.

Q3. Will the Government please specify what geographical region offerors should base their labor rates on?

A3. Section C.2 of the RFP states: “This requirement is to put in place personnel and process infrastructure that will facilitate Navy Medicine’s mission to conduct R&D across its enterprise …” It is up to the offeror to decide how their labor rates will be proposed (and should be consistent with the offeror’s standard accounting practices).

Q4. Does the Government anticipate work to be performed on-site at Government facilities or off-site at contractor facilities?

A4. Yes and yes. However, the majority of the work will be off-site. Section C.2 of the RFP states: “This requirement is to put in place personnel and process infrastructure that will facilitate Navy Medicine’s mission to conduct R&D across its enterprise …” Determination of on-site or off-site or a combination of the two will be at the task order level. If the offeror has separate rates for on-site and off-site consistent with their standard accounting practice, then the offeror should structure their offer consistent with such. Additionally, the Cost/Price spreadsheet will be revised to include tabs for contractor on-site/off-site rates.

Q5. Will the Government please identify the anticipated place(s) of performance? A5. Please reference the questions and answers to #3 and #4.

Q6. RFP Section L.2.2, paragraph (A).2. Sub-factor II: Management of Resources states “…The plan should not only include the establishment of its workforce but also its approach to obtain necessary facilities, equipment, and materials required to meet contract objectives…” The contract Statement of Objectives (SOO) in RFP Section C does not provide sufficient information to determine what facilities, equipment, and materials will be required. Will the Government please clarify what facilities, equipment, and materials will be required to perform contract objectives?

A6. Section C.3 of the RFP states: “When submitting a proposal, Offeror’s need only successfully propose in one area in order to receive an award for all areas.” It is up to the offeror to

determine which area they are proposing under and therefore the offeror’s responsibility to address what is needed in terms of facilities, equipment and materials to meet contract objectives within the area they have selected, sufficiently enough to convince the Government evaluator that the offeror is acceptable. Furthermore, any unique requirements will be outlined in the task order RFPs.

Q7. RFP Section M.2.1, Sub-factor II, Management of Resources, states “The Government will evaluate the effectiveness of the Offeror’s proposed approach to obtain, retain, and sustain the right resources, including appropriate personnel, facilities, equipment, and materials required to satisfy the requirements and objectives set forth in the RFP. The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s ability to manage workload fluctuations. The Government will evaluate the availability of the contractor’s resources.” In its evaluation of the Offeror’s ability to manage workload fluctuations and the availability of our resources, will the Government be evaluating whether the Offeror has facilities capable of being used as “overflow” facilities in the case of surge situations where Government facilities are not adequate to accommodate the demand?

A7. Not specifically, but it may be viewed as a strength depending on how it is presented in the proposal.

Q8. In RFP Section C.9.5 Manpower Reporting, the third sentence states “As part of the submission, you will also provide the estimated total cost incurred to comply with this reporting requirement.” However, in the Cost/Price Format Spreadsheet provided in Section J, Attachment 4, there is no requirement to estimate the cost incurred to comply with this Manpower Reporting requirement. As such, will the Government please clarify if this information is required to be submitted with this proposal? If so, what proposal section should it be included in?

A8. The Cost/Price spreadsheet has been revised to include a CMRA line for the base and option periods.

Q9. In RFP Section C.3 Areas of Support (page 11), the introductory paragraph states “When submitting a proposal, Offeror’s need only successfully propose in one area in order to receive an award for all areas.” This requirement implies that proposals should specifically address these areas of support. However, the RFP does not instruct Offerors to specifically address or describe an approach to performing these areas of support. As such, will the Government please clarify this statement?

A9. Yes. Pick at least one area to demonstrate to the Government the offeror’s acceptability using the structure/format provided in Section L of the RFP.

Q10. On p. 98 of 121, Section L.1.1 states, “Proposals are due by 1400 (2:00 PM) PST on 10 Dec 2010 to the Points of Contract (POCs) listed below” and lists 2 locations, but Section L.1.2 (A) on p. 99 states delivery only to NHRC in San Diego. Which is correct? If the Government wants proposals delivered to both locations, how many go to which location?

A10. The location for the proposal delivery is NHRC (ATTN: Dr. Edward Gorham), 140 Sylvester Rd. San Diego, CA 92106-3521. The Government also listed the location of the Contracting Officer for reference as it is required by the FAR.

Q11. On p. 99, Section L.1.2 (A) states, “The Offeror shall mark the outside shipping container with the RFP Number for this solicitation, W900KK-10-R-0027.” That RFP Number does not agree with the RFP Number on the SF 33. Please advise.

A11. The correct RFP# is W911QY-10-R-0027. This will be corrected in an amendment to the RFP.

Q12. On page 21 of 121, item # 1, states “The Government reserves the right to review the resumes of an interview Contractor employees…” text appears to be missing following the word “resumes”. Please correct.

A12. This should read, “The Government reserves the right to review resumes and/or interview Contractor employees…”

Q13. On page 104 of 121, Section L.2.2 (A). 2 states, “The offeror should also complete the Key Personnel Matrix that identifies the number of personnel directly assigned to the organization that is responsible for contract performance, the labor categories of all assigned personnel, and level of security clearance for each assigned individual.” Please provide a copy of the Key Personnel Matrix since it was not included in the attachments.

A13. It is the responsibility of the offeror to provide the Key Personnel Matrix.

Q14. On Page 11 of 121, Section C.3 Areas of Support, under area #1 Medical, Simulation and Mission Support: Will resource requirements for which models are to be developed include both material and human resources?

A14. Yes.

Q15. Are sought after decision support tools only applicable to those personnel (e.g., operational commanders, etc.) identified, or is it tacitly understood to include higher order military personnel who may require decision support tools on doctrine, policy, or resource acquisition or development considerations?

A15. Yes.

Q16. On Page 12 of 121, Section C.3 Areas of Support, under area #3 Behavioral Sciences & Epidemiology: Is it correct that sought after interventions may include both administrative (e.g. education and training, policy, etc.) and engineering (material resources) mitigation techniques?

A16. Yes.

Q17. Must a team be able to cover all the required areas (e.g. space or undersea medicine) or can a team bid on just certain areas of the RFP, excluding areas where they do not have past performance?

A17. Per Section C of the RFP, an Offeror need only propose based upon one subject area in order to be accepted for all required areas. It is the offeror’s decision which task orders to bid within each required area.

Q18. Can a company prime the small business and be a sub in the F&O and the other way around?A18. Per Section A of the RFP, offerors are encouraged to team with other small/large businesses in

order to be included in both lots (unrestricted and restricted). Small Businesses may be considered for both lots; however, large businesses can only sub for small businesses in order to be included in award in the restricted lot.

Q19. Does the prime need to have Navy Past Performance or can a sub’s experience be used in place. Is it better for the Prime to have Navy Past Performance?

A19. Per the Performance Risk Evaluation Factor and Criteria in Section L and M of the RFP, previous past performance of related or similar contract requirements will assist both the Primes and Subcontractors. “Navy Specific” past performance is not required. Please include all relevant

past performance regardless of the service or agency supported. Additionally, IAW the Army Source Selection Manual, no past performance history will not equate to negative ratings.

Q20. Will a small business that plans to provide a response in both lots (unrestricted and restricted) need to provide a small business plan considering that they themselves are a small business?

A20. Per the Performance Risk Evaluation Factor and Criteria in Section L and M of the RFP, any small business that is competing in the Full and Open Lot will be required to submit a small business participation plan as this is the fourth evaluation factor.

Q21. Regarding the Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaires – The POCS shall be instructed to electronically complete Part II and email the entire questionnaire to the Contract Specialist within 30 days of the release of the RFP or 5 December 2010 (Sunday). Is this day correct?

A21. If the date requirement falls on a weekend date, the date for submission falls on the next working day. In this circumstance, the date for submission is 6 December (Monday).

Q22. Regarding the Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaires – The offeror shall email the Contract Specialist a list of all the POCs who were sent a Questionnaire – Government must receive this list within 15 days of the release of the RFP or 20 November 2010 (Sunday). Is this day correct?

A22. If the date requirement falls on a weekend date, the date for submission falls on the next working day. In this circumstance, the date for submission is 20 November (Monday).

Q23. Health promotion (a broadly interpretable term) and alcohol misuse (a much narrow construct) are paired within one section of the sentence. Of note is that other substances of abuse/misuse (e.g., tobacco, prescription medications, and illegal drugs) are not specifically mentioned, and that the phrase health promotion could include both the enhancement of health behaviors (exercise, diet, etc.) and the elimination or reduction of unhealthy behaviors (e.g., unprotected sexual activity, other high risk behaviors). Please clarify the framework for “health promotion” within the context of this Area of Interest.

A23. This applies to anything pertinent to the Solider and family.

Q24. On Page 12 of 121, Section C.3 Areas of Support, under area #8 Environmental Health Effects:The Area of Interest is specific for toxicological research. Toxicology is literally the study of poisons. A poison is usually considered a chemical, but could be considered to include biological toxins or other, non-chemical toxic industrial materials (Per US Army publications, a toxic industrial material TIMs refers to TICs or non-chemical commercial/industrial materials that may be used as weapons; for example, radioactive materials which could be found in a dirty bomb.) Finally, chemical warfare agents are usually classified separately from TICs. Thus, clarification is desired as to the exact scope of meaning of “toxicological research) – could this research include studies involving any material that is potentially toxic, only non- military weapons grade chemicals, or some other meaning?

A24. This includes studies involving any material.

Q25. RFP Section C.1 states “Competition shall be unrestricted at the contract level, but task orders will be initially reserved for small business competition. If Small Businesses are unable to fulfill the requirement, the task order will be competed in the Full and Open Lot…” Section H.26 states “Government requirements for task orders to be issued under this ID/IQ contract vehicle will be solicited either under the Full & Open Lot or the Partial Small Business Set-Aside Lot. In no circumstance will the Government compete a given requirement simultaneously in both Lots. The

Government will solicit all task order requirements deemed to be appropriate for award as a small business set-aside under the Small Business Set-Aside Lot. Task order requirements that are not appropriate for award as a small business set-aside will be solicited under the Full & Open Lot...” Section H.32 states “…task orders that are not set-aside for Small Business will be solicited in the Full & Open Lot. Only those companies that receive ID/IQ awards will be eligible to compete for such orders. Small Businesses that only receive an ID/IQ award in the SBSA Lot are not eligible to compete for delivery/task orders solicited under the Full & Open Lot”.

Please clarify the discrepancies and/or conflict between the above cited RFP sections. Is it the Government’s intent to first compete all Omnibus III task orders to the small business set-aside awardees, and then based on the proposals received from the small business awardees, determine if there is a small business capable of providing the services? Then, as a second step in the process, if there are no small businesses capable of providing the required services, the task order will then be competed amongst the large business awardees?

A25. Market Research will be conducted to determine if the Small Business Set-Aside lot will be used. If Market Research determines that there are not 2 or more capable small businesses, then the Government will use the Full and Open lot.

Q26. Will small businesses be provided the opportunity to submit a proposal for all Omnibus III task orders as implied by Section C of the RFP, or will the Government determine which task orders will be reserved for small business, and which will be solicited as full and open task orders, thus precluding a small business from competing on certain task orders?

A26. Please reference the question and answer for #25.

Q27. If the Government is setting aside certain task order for the Small Business Set-Aside lot versus Full & Open lot, what criteria is used to determine what lot the task order is released under?

A27. Please reference the question and answer for #25.

Q28. RFP Section A states “The cumulative total of all task orders awarded to all awardees will not exceed $497,000,000 over the life of the contract.” Will the Government please clarify how this amount will be allocated? Specifically, will each awardee receive a contract ceiling amount for their individual contracts, or will funding be awarded by task order regardless of total amounts awarded to each contractor?

A28. This is a multiple award ID/IQ. The $497M is the total ID/IQ ceiling. The amount of each task order will reduce the overall ID/IQ ceiling amount like a checkbook register.

Q29. RFP Section L.2.3, paragraph (C).3 provides deadlines for Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaires. It states “The POCs shall be instructed to electronically complete Part II of the questionnaire and e-mail the entire questionnaire to the Contract Specialist within 30 days of the release of the RFP…” Does this mean we should provide the questionnaires to the POCs within 30 days of RFP release, or does this mean the contract POCs should submit their completed questionnaires to the Government within 30 days of RFP release?

A29. The Government shall receive the Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaire within 30 days.

Q30. To facilitate Offeror proposal preparation in accordance with RFP Section L requirements, will the Government please provide the following RFP sections in their original file format (MS Word or MS Excel):

Section J, Attachment 2: Security Form DD 254

Section J, Attachment 4: Cost/Price Format SpreadsheetSection J, Attachment 5: Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaire Section J, Attachment 7: Cross-Reference Matrix

A30. Yes, the Government has posted all attachments at the Natick website, https://www3.natick.army.mil/nmrc.html

Q31. In RFP Section J, Attachment 3 Labor Category Descriptions, the following labor categories are provided, but do not appear in the Cost/Price Format Spreadsheet (RFP Section J, Attachment 4): G&A Executive, G&A Manager, G&A Specialist, and G&A Staff. Based on their descriptions, these positions appear to be billable-type work, and therefore must be included in the Cost/Price Volume. Will the Government please clarify whether or not these should be added to the current Cost/Price Format Spreadsheet?

A31. Yes, these positions will be added to the Cost/Price Spreadsheet.G&A Executive: Covers positions the duties of which are to manage, advise on, preserve, analyze, and supervise the use of diagnostic and therapeutic medical records. Medical records administration personnel develop medical records policies and procedures and provide advice on the use of medical records. The work requires a knowledge of medical records administration and management skills and abilities.

G&A Manager: Has full line responsibility for the administrative management of a health care delivery system network including many hospitals to a major subdivision of an individual hospital. The fundamental responsibility of health system administrators is to effectively use all available resources to provide the best possible patient care. This requires an understanding of the critical balance between the administrative and clinical functions in the health care delivery system, and ability to coordinate and control programs and resources to achieve this balance. These positions require the ability to apply the specialized principles and practices of health care management in directing a health care delivery system. They do not require the services of a qualified physician.

G&A Specialist: Provides support to health care management officials by analyzing, evaluating, advising on and/or coordinating health care delivery systems and operations. Such positions may be located within an operating health care facility or at a higher organizational echelon. In addition to a high degree of analytical ability, positions in this series require specialized knowledge of the basic principles and practices related to the management of health care delivery systems. These positions do not have line authority.

G&A Staff: Covers one-grade interval administrative support positions that supervise, lead, or perform support work in connection with the care and treatment given to patients in wards, clinics, or other such units of a medical facility. The work includes functions such as serving as a receptionist, performing record keeping duties, and providing miscellaneous support to the medical staff of the unit. This series includes work that requires a practical knowledge of computerized data entry and information processing systems, the medical facility’s organization and services, basic rules and regulations governing visitors and patient treatment, and a practical knowledge of the standard procedures, medical records, and medical terminology of the unit supported.

Q32. Will the Government please clarify where proposals should be submitted to? There appears to be a discrepancy between RFP Section L.1.1 General (requiring submission to NHRC in San Diego, CA

and to Natick Contracting Division in Orlando, FL) versus RFP Section L.1.2 Proposal Mailing/Delivery (requiring submission only to NHRC in San Diego, CA).

A32. Please reference Question and Answer #10.

Q33. In RFP Section L.1.1, paragraph (J) references a format for submission of questions provided in the attachment to the solicitation. There is no such format. Please clarify.

A33. In L.1.1 (J) the RFP states – Interested parties shall submit questions regarding this solicitation by electronic mail to lindsey.crockett@us.army.mil with the solicitation number in the subject line and using the format provided in the attachment to the solicitation. The Government will answer all questions through the issuance of a solicitation amendment prior to the deadline for final proposal submissions, provided it receives those questions not later than the date specified in the RFP. Questions received after the deadline will not be answered prior to proposal submission. The Government is not extending the closing date for receipt of offers.

Q34. Does the Government have a preferred format or template for Volume I, Section V, Subcontracting

Plan? If yes, will the Government please provide it to offerors?A34. Please see the Army Federal Acquisition Regulation, Appendix DD. The subcontracting plan will

be rated using the checklist.

Q35. Does the Government have a preferred format or template for Volume V, Small Business Participation Plan? If yes, will the Government please provide it to offerors?

A35. Please see the Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 19.

Q36. Will the Government please clarify the order to information to be submitted in Volume IV, Performance Risk Assessment? Specifically, would the Government like each contract reference to be submitted sequentially, (including both Section I Contract Descriptions and Section II Performance for each contract)? Or would the Government like Section I Contract Descriptions to include all contract references, followed sequentially by Section II Performance to include all contract references again? (In order to adhere to ensure compliance with the 2-page limit for each contract reference, offeror suggests the first option.)

A36. Please follow the instructions in the RFP.

Q37. RFP Section L.2.3, paragraph (C) states “Offerors shall submit a list of up to 10 Government contracts (prime and major subcontracts)…” Does this mean 10 Government contracts performed only by the prime contractor (performed as prime or major subcontract), or does this mean 10 Government contracts performed by the prime contractor and major subcontractors for this proposal effort?

A37. A total of 10 contracts.

Q38. RFP Section L.2.3, paragraph (C).1.e requires point of contact information for a “Government contract administration activity’s Pre-Award Monitor…” Will the Government please clarify who a “Pre-Award Monitor” is? We are not familiar with this term.

A38. The Pre-Award Monitor is a DCAA representative.

Q39. RFP Section L.2.3, paragraph (C).1.e requires four points of contact to be included in Part 1 – Contract Descriptions. Due to the difficulty associated with identifying and physically locating pre-award points of contact, and in light of more frequent turn-over within contracting and procurement offices, will the Government please remove the requirement to include the following

points of contact: “Procuring Contracting Officer” and “Pre-Award Monitor”? This would still leave the “Contracting Activity” and “Technical Representative/COR”, which should provide adequate information for evaluation of contract performance.

A39. No.

Q40. RFP Section M.2.1, paragraph (B) states “The Offeror has identified key personnel, in accordance with Section, and their related areas of responsibility, certifications, and relevant work experience.” Section H doesn’t provide any information of key personnel. Was it the Government intent to cross-reference RFP Section C.9.4 Personnel Requirements and/or RFP Section J, Attachment 3 Labor Category Descriptions here instead? Please clarify.

A40. Please reference Question and Answer #13.

Q41. For contractors submitting multiple proposals (either in both lots or as a prime contractor and major subcontractor to another prime contractor), will the Government please accept one Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaire per contract reference, to be applied to all proposals including that contractor as either prime contractor or major subcontractor? It is our intent to minimize requiring contract reference customers to complete multiple Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaires for the same RFP. Please advise.

A41. The Originals must be submitted for each proposal as a Prime or Subcontractor.

Q42. In RFP Section J, Attachment 4: Cost/Price Format Spreadsheet, what is the reference to 2080 hours?

A42. 2080 is a full man-year on the CPFF CLINS for the purpose of this RFP.

Q43. In RFP Section J, Attachment 4: Cost/Price Format Spreadsheet, is Fringe included in Overhead?A43. Yes, this has been added to the Cost/Price Spreadsheet.

Q44. In RFP Section J, Attachment 4: Cost/Price Format Spreadsheet, can you please expand the columns on page 3 so the totals for travel and ODCs can be viewed? (The current pdf format does not allow for viewing of these figures.)

A44. Yes, the Cost/Price Spreadsheet has been adjusted.

Q45. When submitting Volume III Cost/Price, can we include the three pricing pages in one Excel file with each page as a separate tab?

A45. Yes.

Q46. When completing Volume III Cost/Price, must the rates for the base period (3 years) remain the same for all 3 years, or can we escalate them? If escalation is permitted, how do we indicate the escalation rate on the spreadsheet?

A46. Please keep the same rate for all three years of the Base period.

Q47. When completing Volume III Cost/Price, must the rates for the option period remain the same for both of the 2 option years, or can we escalate them? If escalation is permitted, how do we indicate the escalation rate on the spreadsheet?

A47. Please keep the same rate for the two years of the Option period.

Q48. RFP Section L.1.2, paragraph (B) states “…and each paragraph shall be separated by at least one blank line.” Due to the strict page limitations, the requirement to separate each paragraph with at

least one line makes it very difficult to address the requirements, specifically within the Management Volume (30-page limit), Resumes (2-page limit each), and Contract References (2-page limit each). Since several paragraphs may be required to respond to a given topic area, may the contractor separate each section or sub-section with a blank line instead of each paragraph?

A48. No. Also, please note that resumes are not included in the 30 page count limit for the Management Volume.

Q49. The dollar amount included in the Cost/Price Format Spreadsheet for ODCs seems large. Will the Government please identify what ODCs are expected on this contract?

A49. This is an estimate at this time, with detailed ODC requirements at the task order level.

Q50. RFP Section L.2.3, paragraph (C).1.f requires contractors to identify the Contract Number and include Delivery/Task Order Numbers. In some cases, we have over 60 task orders under one contract. With the 2-page limit per contract reference, we don’t have space to include all the relevant task order numbers. Will the Government please consider allowing Section I – Contract Descriptions to be excluded from the page count? If not, will the Government please provide an alternative solution this issue?

A50. It is not necessary to list every contract awarded to your firm. Only list those that are relevant to this RFP.

Q51. RFP Section L.2.3, paragraph (C).1.g requires contractors to identify the Contract Types and include Delivery/Task Order types. In some cases, we have over 60 task orders under one contract. With the 2-page limit per contract reference, we don’t have space to include all the relevant task order types. Will the Government please consider allowing Section I – Contract Descriptions to be excluded from the page count? If not, will the Government please provide an alternative solution this issue?

A51. Please reference Question and Answer #50.

Q52. There seems to be some inconsistent information on various websites concerning this solicitation. The RFP was issued in draft on November 5, then a new cover sheet was issued November 9, with the date issued noted as November 5 (unchanged from the first draft). Is the November 9 version considered the final RFP? Can you please clarify the official release date of the final RFP? Please clarify the last date for the submission of questions on the solicitation.

A52. The official release date of the RFP was 5 November 2010.

Q53. On page 11 at C.3 AREAS OF SUPPORT – “When submitting a proposal, Offeror’s need only successfully propose in one area in order to receive an award for all areas.” Is the intent of this section to direct offerors to respond to only one area in their proposal?

A53. Please reference Question and Answer #9.

Q54. On page 11, at C.1 Introduction, the Solicitation notes that university representation as prime contractors or subcontractors is also of interest. Are large businesses permitted to respond to the RFP as prime (while having small business partners) and also potentially partner with a small business that responds to the same RFP?

A54. Yes.

Q55. Will the successful Offeror be able to amend teams after the award to meet capabilities in focus areas other than the area which led to the successful award?

A55. No, awards are based upon the strength of the original proposal.

Q56. On page 14 at C.4 “REQUIREMENTS WITHIN EACH SUPPORT AREA (WHERE APPLICABLE)” Items 1-8 seems to be a list issues to be addressed in a technical response, but of the five required volumes, none appears to include a technical discussion. Please clarify whether a technical response is required. If so, where it should be included and how many pages are allotted for that response?

A56. The Requirements within each support area provide the offerors with example tasks and responsibilities as to how the offeror can demonstrate its capability to perform within the areas of support listed in C.3.

Q57. P 104, Section C (1) b and d: requires submission of Government Contracting Activity and PCO point of contact information in addition to Government Contract Administrative activity and ACO point of contact information.In contract, page 105, Section C (3) states: The offeror shall complete Part I of the Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaire and email the questionnaire to both the Government contracting activity and technical representative responsible for the past / current contract.Please clarify: The Risk Assessment Questionnaires should be sent only to the Contracting Activity that is administering the contract – correct?

A57. Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaires shall be sent the Procuring Contracting Officer, and also the COR or technical representative for the contract.

Q58. How many questionnaires have to be completed if we are only submitting on a few areas of support? Please clarify.

A58. Each offeror should submit up to 10 Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaires depending upon its amount of relevant previous experience.

Q59. On page 6, Item No. 1003 reads, "Other Direct Costs for the base period of three years." Please confirm that this should read "Other Direct Costs for the option period of two years."

A59. Yes, that is correct. This will be amended in the RFP.

Q60. Attachment 6: CDRL 3 calls for "DI-MGMT-80508A." Please clarify that this should be "DI-MISC-80508A."

A60. This is a CDRL for a Final Report.

A61. Factor IV–Small Business Participation Plan: On page 116 of the RFP, Section M.2.4, #2, can the government please clarify what is meant by "enforceable commitments"?

Q61. Agreements or teaming arrangements between companies.

Q62. May contractors submit a second identical version of their proposal via a different carrier as a backup in case the original carrier fails to deliver on time?

A62. The Government would prefer to receive only one shipment of proposals. However, if you would like to contact the POC for confirmation, this is acceptable.

Q63. Section C.9.4 – Personnel Requirements: Paragraph 2 indicates 3 types of Key Personnel. a. Are contractors required to designate an individual for all 3 of these positions?

A63a. Yes. b. If yes, may Contractors wait to hire these individuals until after award of the contract (if they

are not already working for the Contractor) or until after award of the first Task Order?

A63b. Yes, offerors may wait to hire these individuals until after award of the contract (if they are not already working for the offeror) or until after award of the first task order, but the Offeror shall submit their resumes within their proposal (and a letter of intent if not already working for the offeror).

c. Does the Government intend that Key Personnel be direct charge personnel? A63c. Key Personnel can charge to the contract either as direct or indirect depending on what the duties and responsibilities are in the task order and if it is consistent with the offeror’s standard accounting practice.

d. Please provide additional clarification regarding what is meant by “Subcontractor Specialist (G&A Specialist)?” This position is not listed in attachment 4. Is this position required for all contractors, including contractors in the Small Business Set Aside Lot (SBSA)?A63d. Attachment 4 has been revised.

Q64. Regarding Section H.5 – Research Funds Notification of Indirect Rate Limitation: This language is applicable to the prime contractor. Is there a similar indirect rate limit for subcontractors, such as academic institutions with an on-campus F&A rate in excess of 35%?

A64. Subcontractors must comply with Prime Vendor limits.

Q65. Section H.11 Research Involving Health Care Related Contracting (& Personal Services): The language says that “Clinical positions are eligible for PSCs. In a Non-Personal Services (NPS) contract there is no employer/employee relationship. Clinical or administrative tasks are eligible only for NPS contracts.” Please clarify the distinction meant when the first quoted sentence says Clinical Positions are eligible for Personal Service Contracts but the last quoted sentence indicates that Clinical Tasks are only eligible for NPS contracts? What is the difference between a “position” and a “Task” as it relates to this issue?

A65. A clinical position such as a doctor who has an employer/employee type relationship with the Government is eligible for placement on a Personal Services Contract, and in this case would be covered as a Health Care Worker under the Federal Tort Claims Act. A clinical task such as a nurse drawing blood from patients where there is no employer/employee type relationship with the Government can only be placed on a Non-Personal Services contract, and in this case would be covered as a Health Care Worker under indemnification and medical liability insurance provided by the offeror. An administrative task such as a nurse entering data into a database where there is not employer/employee type relationship with the Government can only be placed on a Non-Personal Services contract, and in this case would not be considered a Health Care Worker and would not require indemnification and medical liability insurance.

Q66. In general, if the Government requires contractors to provide physician, nursing or other patient care personnel to work on Government sites/facilities, does the Government intend to use Personal Service Task Orders for this type of work (or at least for these type of positions within a Task Order)?

A66. Yes. However, Personal Services task orders would only be used for clinical positions where the expectation is that there will be an employer/employee type relationship with the Government (and positions will be specifically identified within a task order where this applies).

Q67. Section H.20 – Government Installation Work Schedule: Please confirm that if the President signs an executive order declaring an extra holiday (or half-day holiday), that the employees working under the contract will be able to charge their time directly to the Task Order rather than to a contractor fringe pool?

A67. We cannot confirm this fact at this time because it depends on how Washington defines the Executive Order or situation.

Q68. Please confirm whether employees assigned to work under the contract at a government facility will be able to charge directly there Task Order if the facility is closed by order of the Government due to inclement weather or some other emergency?

A68. Please reference Question and Answer #67.

Q69. Regarding the instructions in L.2.1(C) Section III – Financial Statements: The instructions state that “Offerors will submit in the Financial Volume the past three years of financial statements …” Please clarify what is meant by “Financial Volume” as this terminology does not appear in the table on page 101 listing the required volumes? Was this intended to mean “Administrative” volume?

A69. The financial statements should be included within the Administrative Volume.

Q70. Regarding the instructions in paragraph L.2.1(D) Section IV – Certification of Pricing Data and paragraph M2.2 FACTOR II – COST/PRICE (Applicable to both Lots): M2.2 say: “In evaluating offers, the Government will perform a cost/price analysis based on adequate price competition, the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) and historical data. The Government will evaluate the proposed labor rates submitted by each Offeror in a completed Cost/Price Format Spreadsheet provided in Section J of the solicitation. Submission of incomplete Cost/Price Format Spreadsheets will constitute the Offeror’s proposal to be non-compliant with the terms and conditions of the RFP and will render the proposal ineligible for award. Price reasonableness is a matter of the competitiveness of the Offeror’s proposal, considering the total price of identified labor, ODCs and travel.” (emphasis added)

a. FAR 15.801 cited in L.2.1(D) appears to be an erroneous citations. Please clarify which clause was intended? A70a. Please see the RFP amendment.

b. FAR 15.403-1 generally prohibits the requirement for certified cost or pricing data where there will be adequate competition. Given the number of anticipated awards in both the Full & Open Lot and the Small Business Set-Aside Lot (Section H.35) and the likely number of offerors who will submit a proposal but will not receive an award, does the Government believe it is necessary to require contractors to provide certified pricing data? Section M2.2 also clearly states that Cost/Price analysis will be based on adequate competition. Will the Government remove the requirement for submission of cost or pricing data and replace it with a requirement for cost or pricing information?A70b. Please see the RFP amendment.

Q71. Regarding the instructions in L.2.1(F) Section VI – Organizational Conflict of Interest Mitigation Plan: The instructions in this section require Offerors to include a “mitigation plan in accordance with the clauses and provisions listed elsewhere in the RFP.” If Offerors have not performed under the predecessor Omnibus contract and have not otherwise performed work for the U.S. Navy that will be part of this contract, are offerors required to include a mitigation plan? a. Section H.16 regarding Organizational Conflicts of Interest indicates that the OCI clause is to

be completed at the Task Order level. Given that, is it more appropriate for offerors to provide a mitigation plan with Task Order Proposals if appropriate?

A71a. No, a mitigation plan should be submitted with the proposal and at the task order level for any OCI issues specific to the task order.

b. If an OCI mitigation plan is required to be included in all proposals, can the Government provided additional clarification as to what should be included in the plan when there is not yet any specifically awarded work?A71b. Address the company’s OCI mitigation plan for potential work IAW the RFP and PWS.

Q72. With regard to the Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaires to be sent to other Government customers, can contractors send these to CORs/COTRs on individual Task Orders under ID/IQ contracts where the Task Order are relevant to the work in this RFP?

A72. Yes.

Q73. Attachment 4 ( labor rate spreadsheet) appears to require that both FFP and CPFF labor rates must remain fixed during the initial 3 year Base period and then the 2 year option period?

a. Is Attachment 4 to be used only in evaluation of the price reasonableness of the ID/IQ award and not in the preparation of CPFF or FFP Task Orders during performance?A73a. These labor rates will be used to evaluate price reasonableness; however, these rates will establish the rates for future task orders. Offerors cannot exceed these rates for future task orders, but can discount from them .

b. Or is it to be used for the pricing of Task Orders?A73b. Please see Question and Answer #11a. Offerors may further discount rates at the task order level.

Q74. The spreadsheet does not fairly allow offerors to account for annual cost of living or merit increases in the direct labor rates of its employees by forcing offerors to average the cost of direct labor over three year and two year periods of performance, which creates a risk of monetary loss depending on when work is actually authorized. May Offerors modify the spreadsheet to reflect pricing for each of the years of performance?

A74. No, please reference Question and Answers #46 and #47.

Q75. What is the length of time intended with regard to the 3rd spreadsheet page covering the Optional Extension?

A75. This extension will not exceed 6 months and will only be exercised if required.

Q76. Although the periods listed are 3 years and 2 years respectively, the number of hours estimated per labor category (1920 or 2080) represents only a single year? Is that what was intended? Please clarify?

A76. Yes, the government will be evaluating contractor labor rates and fees at the contractor level. At the task order level, the requirements will be more clearly defined and will require exact labor hour estimations for the work to be performed.

Q77. Attachment 4 contains separate pages of labor categories for subcontractor labor:a. If an Offeror is submitting a proposal for the SBSA Lot and does not currently intend to include

any subcontractors in its proposal, is it required to include any subcontractor pricing? A77a. No, but please explain why there are no subcontractors so that the Government does not identify your proposal as non-compliant.

b. Conversely, if a small business Offeror intends to include multiple subcontractors in its proposal, can it submit multiple subcontractor-specific labor pricing or do we need to have a single set of rates for subcontractors?A77b. A single set of rates should be proposed.

c. If a small business Offeror does not have any subcontractors in its proposals, will it be required to submit full labor pricing information for potential subcontractors during performance under the contract, or will subcontractors be able to provide Task Order specific pricing?A77c. No, subcontractors should not be added to the task order level. Prices are set in the basic ID/IQ.

Q78. Are the 23 labor categories listed in each page of Attachment 4 an exhaustive list of categories the Government expects contractors to use or will contractors be allowed to propose addition categories or category levels during the proposal process for Task Orders?

A78. Please use the labor categories listed referencing the Labor Category Descriptions in Attachment 3. We do not anticipate adding categories at this time, but reserve the right to do so if required.

Q79. Will the Government provide a rough estimate as to the expected percent of labor that will occur in the San Diego area or provide an indication as to the cities in which the majority of work is expected to be performed to assist contractors and accurately projecting labor costs based on the geographic area of performance?

A79. Please see Questions and Answers #3 and #4.

Q80. Please list the current incumbent contractors on the Omnibus contract this RFP will replace?A80. This is not a recompeted contract effort. This contract is a separate contract from Omnibus I

and Omnibus II and contains additional requirements from the previous requirements. Also, this contract will support Navy Medicine, not specifically NHRC as with the Omnibus I and Omnibus II contracts. Additionally, this question constitutes information required to be submitted under the Freedom of Information Act.

Q81. With regard to the CPFF Labor Pricing requested in Attachment 4:a. The spreadsheets indicate contractors should use 2080 hours. Is 2080 hours intended to be a

productive work year or just a total work year?A81a. Since these are Cost rates, the maximum number of hours that can be worked in a full year are 2080; however, this does not take into consideration holiday and leave as in the FFP hours.

b. Attachment 4 appears to require Offerors to include their Fringe Benefits rate in the CPFF Rate and use the multiplier of 2080 hours. If our accounting practices are to segregate the Fringe Benefits costs from Direct Labor costs and to estimate CPFF prices based on estimated productive work hours (e.g., 1880 annually), can we amend attachment 4 to include a Fringe Benefits column and reduce the number of productive work hours to something less than 2080 (or to an amount specified by the Government)?A81b. Please see the revised spreadsheet.

c. What does the Government intend that Offerors place in the column labeled profit (as compared to the column labeled Fixed Fee)? Does the Government want a percentage figure listed in one and a dollar value in the other? Typically profit and fixed fee are equivalent or interchangeable and we would not have both listed. Please clarify what is wanted?

A81c. The Government intends these both to be percentages with a full dollar value per labor category listed in the CPFF total. If your profit is included in the fixed fee, then you can leave the profit column blank with a footnote explaining the breakout.

Q82. Is the potential FFP deduction for less than satisfactory performance listed in the QASP table on pages 4-5 of Attachment 1 for FFP Task Orders only? Will the deductions be made only on the value of invoicing during the period of the evaluation (e.g., quarterly)?

A82. Yes. The potential deductions are at the task order level. No, the deductions will be based upon the total task order value.

Q83. Attachment 4 does not include the labor categories defined in Attachment 3 as “G&A” categories. May the contractor add G&A labor categories to Attachment A where accounting for them in our G&A pool would force a change in our normal accounting structure?

A83. Please reference Question and Answer #31.

Q84. With regard to Subcontractor labor, where does the Government want Prime Contractors to record any indirect burden that will be placed on subcontractor costs in the spreadsheets of Attachment 4?

A84. There are separate Cost/Price Spreadsheets for both the Prime and Subcontractor labor rates. Any additional charges or fees should be included in the pricing/cost and noted within the spreadsheet.

Q85. With regard to the labor categories in Attachment 3/4: Will the Government consider deleting the “Engineer” and “Architect” categories as many companies in this industry will not normally provide such services? Likewise, will the Government consider deleting the “Professor” category? These individuals would be employees of colleges and universities and there services would generally be obtained under a consulting agreement/subcontract based on the academic institutions approved rates.

A85. Please use the labor categories listed referencing the Labor Category Descriptions in Attachment 3.

Q86. Question regarding offering proposals for both the Unrestricted and Set aside Lots: The RFP says:Section A - Solicitation/Contract Form - “Offerors qualifying as a small business concern under this size standard are eligible to bid work set-aside for small businesses at the task order level.”

Statement of Objectives: C.1 Introduction: “…Competition shall be unrestricted at the contract level, but task orders will be initially reserved for small business competition. If Small Businesses are unable to fulfill the requirement, the task order will be competed in the Full and Open Lot (Reference H.26 and H.33 in this RFP).”

H.26 TASK ORDER ORDERING PROCEDURES: “The Government will solicit all task order requirements deemed to be appropriate for award as a small business set-aside under the Small Business Set-Aside Lot. Task order requirements that are not appropriate for award as a small business set-aside will be solicited under the Full & Open Lot.”

H.32 SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE AWARDEES: “Only those Small Businesses that receive ID/IQ awards in the SBSA Lot will be eligible to compete for set-aside task orders.”

Paragraphs H.26 and H.32 appear to contradict the statement in C.1 that states, “Competition shall be unrestricted at the contract level, but task orders will be initially reserved for small business competition. If Small Businesses are unable to fulfill the requirement, the task order will be competed in the Full and Open Lot (Reference H.26 and H.33 in this RFP).” C.1 gives the impression that a Small Business (SB) will be solicited on all task orders and only if SB cannot perform will tasks be solicited from the full and open lot. H.26 and H.32 indicate that there are task orders that are set aside for SB. Would the Government clarify whether or not SB will be solicited first on all task orders or whether H.26 and H.32 will govern task order solicitation? If C.1 is the intent of the Government, may offerors rely on the conclusion that a small business need only respond to the small business set aside portion to be considered eligible for all task order competition under the IDIQ whether the task is set aside or not?

A86. Please reference Question and Answer #25.

Q87. C.9.4 PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS – “Key Personnel are designed as follows: Program Manager, Lead Scientist (Subject Matter Expert Specialist), and Subcontractor Specialist (G&A Specialist). All key personnel shall be employees of the prime contractor unless so otherwise indicated at the task order level.” Is the Contractor to assume one Program Manager, one Lead Scientist and one Subcontractor Specialist for the ID/IQ contract level with the understanding that separate task orders may require additional key personnel?

A87. No, these Key Personnel positions are project specific.

Q88. C.9.4 PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS “The Contractor shall assign to this contract those persons whose resumes were submitted in its technical contract performance period, no key personnel substitutions shall be permitted unless an individual’s sudden illness, death, or termination of employment necessitates such substitutions”. This requirement seems to take away a Contractor’s ability to manage its employees. Would the Government consider easing this requirement to allow removal of employees from key personnel roles for other reasons such as job performance that do not rise to termination of employment, or change the requirement by modifying the second sentence to “…no key personnel substitutions shall be permitted within the first 90 days of contract performance…”?

A88. No.

Q89. H.14 SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: “Although the requirement for a clearance above SECRET is not required for the basic contract award, there may be efforts at the task order level that will require a clearance above the SECRET level.” If a company is awarded a contract that has a Secret Facility Clearance and task orders are issued that require clearance above the Secret lever, will the Government sponsor the Contactor for the higher level clearance?

A89. Yes.

Q90. H.15 REIMBURSEMENT OF TRAVEL, PER DIEM, AND SPECIAL MATERIAL COSTS: Throughout the clause, the Government states they will reimburse actual cost. Will the Government clarify this that it will reimburse actual cost plus applicable G&A expense at the rate approved by the DCAA for current year provisional rates?

A90. Per Section C.8.1 and C.8.2 of the RFP, no fee or profit shall be applied to material and travel costs.

Q91. H.34 SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION: the clause states: “NOTE: This requirement applies to awardees in the Full & Open Lot only. The Small Business Participation requirement does not apply

to the Small Business Set-Aside Lot. All awardees in the Full & Open Lot (both large businesses and small businesses) will be responsible for meeting the Small Business Participation goal of no less than 29% of the total funded amount of all task orders awarded under this ID/IQ contract during each ordering period and over the life of the contract. Small Business Participation is defined as work effort performed by small business, whether as a Prime contractor or on a subcontractor basis.”a. Does the Government require a SB plan from a Small Business who offers a proposal in the Full

and Open Lot? A91a. Yes.

b. Or, does a SB in the Full and Open Lot only have to meet the requirements during performance of tasks issued under the Full and Open Lot?A91b. Please see Question and Answer #92a.

c. Is the Small Business Participation Plan in the Full & Open Lot authorized/governed by a specific FAR clause? If so, which one?A91c. FAR 52.219-8 and DFAR 215.304.

Q92. Clarification of conflict between the small business targets in paragraph H.34 and evaluation factor M.2.4: Paragraph H.34 indicates the overall small business target is 29% and provides a table showing the specific goals for six (6) small business categories, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but does not include 8(a) companies. These small business category goals in the table on page 46 add to 27%. a. In the evaluation criterion section, Paragraph M.2.4, subparagraph 7 indicates the overall

small business goal is 25%. This section also lists specific goals for five (5) small business categories. This group of small business categories includes 8(a) small business but does not include Historically Black Colleges and Universities. These small business category goals listed in subparagraph 7 add to 16.8%.A92a. This will be corrected in the amended RFP.

b. Please clarify the correct overall small business goal and the specific small business category goals.A92b. The percentages listed in the RFP Section H.34 are correct (for the exception of HBCUs, which will be removed). There is an overall small business goal of 29% and the small business categories do not add up to that percentage. Therefore, the additional % can be comprised of any small business or offerors may exceed the goals of certain SB categories.

Q93. In Section C.3 (Areas of Support) would it be helpful to address portions of as many areas (1-12)

as possible where the company has expertise along with areas where there are full capabilities? (For example: in C.1.3, the contractor has expertise in HIV epidemiology but not musculoskeletal injury, is it helpful to address their expertise in HIV epidemiology).

A93. Please reference Question and Answer #6.

Q94. In C.3, C.4, and C.5 (pages 11- 15 of the RFP) there is guidance regarding what needs to be answered. In C.6 (Process Infrastructure, Pages 15 – 18 of the RFP) there is no such guidance. Are we to assume that all sub-sections of C.6 need to be addressed?

A94. No. All sub-sections of C.6 do not need to be addressed. Section C.3 says, “When submitting a proposal, offerors need only to successfully propose in one area to be receiving an award for all areas.” This applies to Section C.6 as well. In other words, the offeror may want to address Clinical Research Networks but might not address anything associated with Clinical Outcomes Assessment.

Q95. Page 21 Number 2 refers to a Program Manager, Lead Scientist and Subcontract Specialist. Are these persons to be project specific, Support Area Specific, or Contract Specific?

A95. These are personnel that are contract specific (possibly indirect charge) but could end up being task order specific (possibly direct charge depending on the task order scope). When proposing at the contract level, they do not have to be project specific or support area specific, but should be relevant to some aspect of the RFP scope. If the offerors utilize these positions at the task order level, then G&A may need to be adjusted at the task order level.

Q96. In Section C.5 number 5 (regarding US Foreign policy), what are the expectations of the government? Are specific programs expected or does the Government expect a presentation of how the contractor handles OCONUS work?

A96. At this time, the Government does not expect presentation of how the offeror will handle OCONUS work, but may require the offeror to demonstrate this ability for a specific OCONUS task order.

Q97. Will this effort require OCONUS travel? If so can the Government indicate where the OCONUS travel will be? What will be the usual duration of OCONUS travel? What will be the maximum duration of OCONUS travel?

A97. There are no OCONUS travel requirements identified at this time, but see Question and Answer #97.

Q98. In L.2.2, Factor I – Management (page 103 of 121) the Government indicates that that the contractor may be required to obtain facilities. Can the Government define the type(s) of facilities? (Laboratory, office as examples?) If laboratory, what kind of laboratory, and what would the technical specifications be?

A98. Please reference Question and Answer #6. This will be described in greater detail at the task order level, if required.

Q99. On Page 14, C.3.12 (Clinical Investigations Program Support, in the RFP, various graduate education is mentioned (GME, GDE, GPE). Will the Government expect support for such programs over and above the research component? (For example, oversight and assistance with ACGME requirements for residency programs and so forth.)

A99. No.

Q100. Section L.2.1 (B) requires offerors to complete blank lines and provide signature for the contract sections indicated. Section G, Contract Administration Data (p.27-29), has neither any blank spaces nor any signature lines. Please clarify what the Government wants offerors to do with this section, if anything.

A100. Any clauses, representations/certifications or provisions requiring an offeror to fill-in a portion must be completed and returned with the proposal.

Q101. Under L.2.1(C), is a Dun & Bradstreet report required? If so, clarify the type of D&B report requested.

A101. Please see the revised section L.2.

Q102. Page 101, Section (D) states, “The offeror shall complete the Cross Reference Matrix by indicating the proposal volume/paragraph corresponding to Section L and Section M and include a copy in

each volume.” Where would the government like the offeror to place their response in the matrix. There does not appear to be an indication of how this form should be completed.

A102. The Offeror shall include an additional column for their response or create a new cross matrix referencing only the proposal pages and RFP sections (pages). This matrix should be the first page of each volume.

Q103. Page 102, Section (C) states, “Prior to submission, a company officer or CPA will certify statements. Small businesses are not required to have CPA audited or reviewed financials but shall have their CFO sign off on their financials.” Does this statement intend to mean that those bidding under the full and open lot are required to have their financials signed off by a CPA?

A103. Please see revised Section L.2.

Q104. Will there be a scored evaluation, with separate ratings, for the information contained in Volume I, Administrative?

A104. Please reference the evaluation criteria listed in Sections L and M.

Q105. Please clarify the difference between the information required for Volume I, Section V Subcontracting Plan, and Volume V, Small Business Participation Plan.

A105. Please reference for L.2.1 (E) for information regarding the subcontracting plan requirements, which will be scored IAW AFARs Appendix DD. As offerors can team with both large and small businesses, this is different than the Small Business Participation Plan, which should identify which SB categories each offeror will be utilizing to meet the RFP small business goals.

Q106.What are the proposal content requirements for Volume III, Cost/Price? A106. Please reference L.2.2(B), M.2.2 and Attachment IV for the requirements.

Q107.Will the Government award NTE values for each CLIN? Will the contractor be held to that NTE value per CLIN or will a contract modification be issued to enable the contractor to receive more of one type of award versus another?

A107. The total contract ceiling will be divided among the awardees. However, the total ceiling for this effort among awardees is $497M.

Q108. Reference Clause L.2.1 (C). Recently following the GAO audit of DCAA, DCAA has rescinded many of its previously issued contractor accounting system approvals. The referenced clause states a contractor must have an approved accounting system in order to be eligible for award. Would the Government consider its requirement to award a CPFF vehicle as having been satisfactorily met if the contractor can provide a DCAA pre-award survey of a contractor’s accounting system which indicates the contractor is eligible for award of a prospective contract in accordance with the criteria contained in FAR 53.209-1(f)?

A108. Yes.

Q109.Will the Government take into consideration in its evaluation the number of task order awards vendors holding an Omni I or Omni II IDIQ received? Specifically, will the Government consider whether vendors who have not participated in Omni II task order competitions to be eligible for an award under Omni III in particular due to the overlap of POP between the two IDIQs?

A109. Upon award of the Omnibus III, the Government intends to stop using the Omnibus I and II contracts. The number of awardees received or not received under the Omnibus I and II has no

bearing on this effort other than how an offeror depicts its past performance in the Performance Risk Factor.

Q110. If a contractor submits a CPFF proposal, is the contractor excluded from bidding on FFP task orders?

A110. Offerors should submit both CPFF and FFP rates in order to be considered for award.

Q111. Sections C.9.4.2. states “minimum education and desired experience are noted below under Labor Category General Descriptions”. These descriptions are not noted below and are actually in Attachment 3. After a review of the labor category descriptions in Attachment 3, the descriptions do not appear to contain specific education and desired years of experience that is implied by the last sentence of C.9.4.2. Will the government provide an explicit minimum education and desired number of years for each labor category listed in Attachment 3?

A111. No.

Q112.Does the government intend to provide a plug number for ODCs and Travel to assist offerors in completing the pricing sheet template?

A112. These estimates are provided in Attachment 4.

Q113. General Reference – Travel Costsa) Why is Travel broken out as a separate item for Firm Fixed Price orders?A113a. Travel is broken out separately for FFP and CPFF task orders for contract administration purposes.b) Can the government explain its logic to exclude fee from travel? From a risk assessment point of view, the contractor is generally at great risk to control costs given the dynamics of the federal travel schedules.A113b. Contractors will be reimbursed based upon the actual travel costs incurred. No fees or profit shall be provided. Please see Section C.8.1 for reference.

Q114. Reference – Section C.8.1, TravelCan the government provide the forms for travel to assist in proposal reparation?Is there a format or CDRL for trip reports?Noted: It is noted that this is inconsistent with Firm Fixed Price

A114. This will not be required at the contract level. Please see attachment 6 for a list of CDRLS.

Q115. Reference – Section C.9.1.2, Contractor Accessa) This paragraph conflicts with H.18, Performance by Foreign Nationals or FOCI

Organizations – In C.9.1.2, sub-item 3, can the government furnish the details of a typical visit notification?A115a. Some task orders (e.g. those task orders providing on-site support at MTFs where access to the IT system is allowed) will require US Citizenship. Some task orders (e.g. those unclassified task orders performed at the contractor’s facility) may allow for Foreign Nationals provided Government procedure is followed. In either case, background checks may be required. In some cases, like the former, security clearance may be required.

b) Does the reference to “background check” indicate NAC?

A115b. Background checks depend on the level of security required at the task order level. For example, it might only be required to do a FBI check. However, if it requires a security clearance level such as Secret, then a NAC may be required.

Q116. Reference – Section D.1, Preparation for Deliverya) What supplies are anticipated?b) Are these only incidental to the service being provided?

A116. This will be outlined in greater detail at the task order level as the requirements are determined.

Q117. Reference – Section H.6, Research Efforts that are Non-Severable (or Entire) - Does this cited law still apply? What amount of the work is anticipated to be supported by 6.1 funds?

A117. Yes, this will be determined at the task order level.

Q118. Reference – Section H.7, Invention Disclosures and Reports- Is it possible to submit the required DD 882 through the use of Interagency Edison?

A118. Not at this time. We will further evaluate this at the task order level. Offerors can include this in the proposals as an option.

Q119. Reference – Section H.15, Reimbursement of Travel, Per Diem, and Special Material, “*Any Additional travel other than what was bid in the original proposal must be pre-approved by the COR in writing with copy furnished to the Contract Specialist.” The asterisk confuses the issue. Does this provision apply to future tasks and not to the basic proposal?

A119. Yes, if not bid in the original proposal then additional travel must be proposed and approved prior to occurrence.

Q120. Reference – Section H.20, Government Installation Work Schedulea) What are the flexible work week possibilities?b) Will these only apply to certain task orders?

A120. Contractor hours are dependent upon specific task order requirements.

Q121. Reference – Section H.32, Small Business Set-Aside Awardees, 4th sub-paragraphThe reference to “the first 5 years” appears inconsistent with the stated Period of Performance(POP) of a total of 5 years. Please clarify.

A121. Small Business are required to recertify every 5 years.

Q122. Reference – Section I, Clauses Incorporated by Reference, Clauses 52.219-8 and -52.219-9These clauses refer to “DEV” – Which specific Deviation is the government citing?

A122. Please reference the clauses listed in Section I of the RFP.

Q123. Reference – Section I, Clauses Incorporated by Reference, Clause 52.226-1a) Can the government identify what Indian sources apply?b) For which tasks do these apply?

A123. Please reference the FAR for further explanation. Further information will be provided at the task order level.

Q124. Reference – Section I, Clauses Incorporated by Reference, Clause 52.228-5Can the government suggest what percentage of the overall work is likely to be Firm Fixed Price?

A124. This will be determined at the task order level based upon the requirements.

Q125. Reference – Section L.2.1, Proposal Contents – General (Administrative Volume I.), Section IV, Organizational Conflict of Interest Mitigation Plan Since this is a competitive RFP, would the government consider deleting Section IV of Administrative Volume I?

A125. No, OCI on this effort is a primary concern for the Government.

Q126. Reference – Attachment 1, Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)Does the government intend to discuss the QASP items during negotiations of the prime award or will they be adjusted as each task order is issued?

A126. Each task order will have a specific QASP.

Q127. Please confirm that Section B will be completed after contract award.A127. Yes, the spreadsheet has been updated to include a by CLIN Cost/Price to be inputted by

offerors.

Q128. In reference to Attachment 4, Cost/Price Format Spreadsheet:a. Is the Prime contractor required to submit a separate rate spreadsheet for each

subcontractor, or should these sheets be consolidated into one spreadsheet with a single subcontractor composite rate for each labor category?A128a. Please reference Question and Answer #78.

b. In reference to the Subcontractor CPFF rate worksheets -- Is the Prime contractor required to apply the Prime’s indirect costs and fee in the columns provided?A128b. Yes.

c. Can the Prime contractor revise the format to include additional elements of cost such as direct labor, Fringe and FCCM?A128c. The Cost/Price Spreadsheet has been updated.

d. The ODCs and Travel amounts provided at the bottom of the Prime Optional Extension spreadsheet (page 3) is not visible. Can the Government please provide the dollar amounts?A128d. The Cost/Price Spreadsheet has been updated.

e. Please confirm whether the rates provided in the spreadsheet should reflect effort performed at the Government-site or Contractor site.A128e. The Cost/Price Spreadsheet has been updated.

f. Section C.9.4 (page 21 of 121) identifies one of the three Key Personnel positions as a Subcontractor Specialist (G&A Specialist); however, the cost spreadsheet does not reflect that labor category. Shall the offeror revise the template to include this category?A128f. The Cost/Price Spreadsheet has been updated.

Q129. With reference to page 117, while our company can provide a generic subcontracting plan, and include information as to our proposed subcontractors and team members, how will this overall plan be applied on an individual task order basis? Will the company be required to submit updated subcontracting plans on a contract year basis or other basis?

A129. The offeror subcontracting plan will be reviewed IAW AFARs Appendix DD. It must achieve a score of 80 points to be eligible for award. Subcontracting Plans at the task order level are not required.

Q130. The RFP (reference pages 116 and 117) refer to “25% of the total funded amount” while the FAR requires the small business participation be calculated on the total estimated dollar value of all planned subcontracting. Which is applicable to this procurement?

A130. You seem to be confusing Small Business Participation with Subcontracting. Please comply with the requirements of the RFP.

Q131. Page 11 of the RFP, Section C.2 Background; specifically this section calls for ‘basic university research’ as a ‘process infrastructure’. How do we demonstrate to the government access to Universities for the purpose of this proposal?

A131. Please comply with the RFP.

Q132. Page 21, C.9.5, Contractor Manpower Reporting; It is stated in the first paragraph that ‘The reporting period will be the period of performance not to exceed 12 months.’ Elsewhere a period of 3 years is mentioned. What is the period of performance? Will all Task Orders have a 12 month POP with re-competition at the end of the POP?

A132. This contract has a three year Base period and a two year Option Period. However, Contractor Manpower Reporting is required each year.

Q133. Page 44, H.31, Addition of contractors during the life of the ID/IQ contract; If a company participates as a sub-contractor initially, will the government allow that company to participate as a prime after the end of the three period and if there is a call for new primes?

A133. Possibly, please reference H.31 of the RFP.

Q134. On page 44 of 121, Section H.32 of the RFP, it states that "small businesses that only receive an ID/IQ award in the Small Business Set-Aside (SBSA) Lot are not eligible to compete for delivery/task orders solicited under the Full & Open Lot". Will the government please provide justification for this limitation on small businesses and/or consider revising the rule to allow small businesses that only receive awards in the SBSA lot to compete for Full & Open task order solicitations as well?

A134. No. The Government is allowing Small Businesses to propose for both lots. Therefore, any small business that proposes for the SBSA only cannot be considered for award on the Full & Open lot.

Q135. Will the government please provide a scope of the anticipated task order awards, such as number of FTE? Will the government please provide the estimated number of task orders to be competed each year?

A135. No.

Q136. Section I includes FAR Clause 52.222-43 which incorporates the Service Contract Act and also FAR Clause 52.222-44 which provides for adjustments in the wage rates. Are offerors to identify the wage determination they believe is most applicable in their development of the proposed labor rates or can the government provide a wage determination to be used for this proposal?

A136. The offeror should provide an applicable wage rate for the Base and Option period.

Q137. Can the Government please confirm that contractors are to provide fully burdened rates with fee in the FFP rate column and that no rate build-up detail is necessary for the FFP rates?

A137. Please comply with the spreadsheet.

Q138. If a contractor and/or subcontractor is not proposing CPFF rates and only proposing FFP rates, do they just leave the CPFF columns blank?

A138. An offeror must submit CPFF rates also to be compliant with the RFP.

Q139. Section C.8.1 and C.8.2 state that no fee or profit shall be applied to travel or material/equipment costs. Is this applicable to FFP tasks?

A139. This is applicable to every task order.

Q140. In the RFP, several representation and certification forms are included. Contractor assumes that if its ORCA entry for a given representation or certification is current, then the form for that representation or certification does not need to be completed separately. Is this assumption correct?

A140. No, please print and provide ORCA representations and certifications.

Q141. It is the Contractor’s understanding that the provisions of 10 USC 2323 allowing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (“HBCUs”) to be counted as small businesses have expired. Accordingly, HBCUs would now be considered large businesses. Can the Government please indicate if there is some other authority which will allow HBCUs to count as small businesses? If there is not, and HBCUs will be considered large businesses, will the Government consider reducing the small business subcontracting requirement to account for the expiration of this law?

A141. This is correct. The SB goals will be removed from the SB goals.

Q142. Historically, with IDIQ task orders, certain work lends itself well to subcontracting while other work does not. In regards to Subcontracting goals, can the Government please clarify whether these goals must be met on a task order basis, or if the goals will be considered met so long as they are met for the contract as a whole?

A142. Subcontractor goals will be evaluated per contract as a whole. However, companies that do not make adequate progress towards meeting its goals may not have their option exercised in year three of the contract.

Q143. C.9.4.2 Key Personnel – page 21 of 121 states that the qualifications for education and desired experience are set below under Labor Category Descriptions. Attachment 3 provides labor category descriptions only. Will the Government be revising Attachment 3 to include education and desired experience?

A143. No.

Q144. The SF1449 states “Sealed Offers in Original and 2 Copies” whereas the table on page 101 indicates 2 hard copies. Will the Government please define what the hard copy requirements are?

A144. The Government requires an original hard version, a hard version copy and two CDs/DVDs (an original and one copy).

Q145. Page 104-105. Please define if Sections I and II can be ordered Per Reference; i.e., Reference 1, section I followed by section II. Then Reference 2, section I followed by Section II, and so on. This would ease the determination of a 2 page limit per reference.

A145. Yes.